Steam-boiler superheater.



A P ATENTED FEB. 14, 1905. I F. J. COLE & G. J. MELL IN. STEAM BOILER SUPERHEATERL APPLIUATION FILED DEG. 2, 1904.

4 SHEETSSHEET PATENTED FEB. 14, 1905, F. J. COLE & G. J. MELLIN. STEAM BOILER SUPERHEATER.

APPLIOATION FILED D30. 2, 1904.

'4 SHEETS'SHBET 2.

QK /v k I \.N

QQN

a k k.

WITNESSES I I \PATENTED FEB. 14, 1905 'F. J. COLE & 0. J. MELLIN. STEAM BOILER SUPERHEATER.

APPLIUATION FILED 1330.2, 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEETS.

wnusssss I v, PATENTED'FEB. 14, 1905. F. J. COLE & 0. J. MELLIN. v x STEAM BOILER SUPERHEATER.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 2, 1904.

4 SHEETS-BREE! 4.

,' ,lllllllllo I 11111-4 "In; vi '1', I.

UNITED STAT S."

Patented February 14, 1905. 7'

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS J. COLE AND CARL J MELLIN, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STEAM-BOILER SUPERHEATER.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters'latent No. 782,490, dated February 14, 1905.

Application filed December 2, 1904. Serial No. 235,180.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, FRANCIS J. COLE and CARL J. MELLIN, of Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have jointly invented a certain new and useful Im: provement in Steam-Boiler Superheaters, of which improvement the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to superheaters of the t general class or type exemplified in Letters Patent of the United States No. 765,307, granted and issued to the American Locomotive Company as the assignee of Francis J. Cole under date of July 19, 1904; andits object is I 5 to provide in a superheating appliance of such type means whereby a materially-increased area of steam superheating-surface may be presented within each of the superheating firetubes, to the end of enabling the steam to be more thoroughly and highly superheated-than in the appliance of Patent No. 7 65,307 aforesaid, while retaining all the substantial prac'-' tical advantages thereof.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal central section through the smoke-box and a portion of the waist of a locomotive-boiler, illustrating an application 0 of our invention; Fig. 2, a similar section, on an enlarged scale, through the T-head, one of the headers, and the connectedsuperheaterpipes; Fig. 3, afront view, partly in section, of slightly more than one-half of the T-head with 5 two of the headers detached and indicated in dotted lines; Fig. 4,.a horizontal longitudinal section, on a further enlarged scale, through one of the headers, a portion of a superheating fire-tube, and one of the su perheater-pipes located in said tube; Fig. 5, a transverse section, on a further enlarged scale, on the line (i d of Fig.- 4; Fig. 6, a section similar to that of Fig. 2, showing a modification of structural detail; Fig. 7, a view similar to that of Fig. 3 of the construction shown in Fig.6; Fig. '8, ahorizontal longitudinal section through one of the headers, a portion of a superheating fire-tube, and the two superheater-pipes located 1n said tube of the construction shown in Fig. 6; Fig.

9, a transverse section, on an enlarged scale,

on the line 0 c of Fig. 8; Fig. 10, a section similar to those of Figs. 2 and 6, showing another modification of structural detail; Fig. 11, a view similar to those of'Figs. 3 and 7 of the construction shown in Fig. 10; Fig. 12, a hori- Zontal longitudinal section through one of the headers and a portion of a superheating-tube, showing the superheaterpipes in elevation; and Figs. 13 and 14, transverse sections, on an enlarged scale, on the lines a a and 6 I2, respectively, of Fig. 12. r

' Our invention is herein, as in Letters Patent No. 765,307 aforesaid, exemplified as applied in connection with a locomotive-boiler 4, which is of the ordinary construction and is provided at its forward end with a smoke box 4, which is supported upon the usual cylinder-saddles 12. A plurality of fire-tubes 4, ordinarily of comparatively small diameter, extend from a fire-box at the rear end of the boiler, which is not shown, to the front flue-sheet 4, and the products of combustion pass through said tubes and through other tubes, which will presently be described, to the smoke-box 4*, from which they are discharged into the atmosphere through the stack 4. Steam is supplied from the. boiler to the cylinders through a main steam-supply pipe or .dry pipe 61, passing through the front fluesheet 4 and connected in front thereof to a transverse T-head 62, from which branch or delivery steam-pipes 63, located on opposite sides of the smoke-box, lead to the cylinders. The exhaust-steam is discharged from the cylinders through a vertical exhaust-pipe 64, secured to the saddles 12 in line axially with the stack, and in the instance shown two petticoat or draft pipes 65 66 are interposed between the. exhaust-pipe and the stack. The smoke-box is, where solid fuel is used, fitted with a spark-arresting appliance of any suitable and preferred constructiomwhich is here shown as comprising a diaphragm or deflecting-plate 4 and a sheet of netting or perforated plate 4 In the practice of our invention we substitute in lieu of a numberof the usual small-' diameter fire-tubes 4 in the upper and middle portion of the space within the boiler, which' would in the usual practice be occupied by such number of said tubes, a correspondingly smaller number of tubes 67 of greater diameter, which will be descriptively termed superheating-tubes, said superheating-tubes extending between and being expanded into the front flue-sheet4 and the rear or fire-box tube sheet. Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, within each of the superheatingtubes 67 there are located three superheaterpipes 69, one near the top of the superheatingtube and the other two in line horizontally below the first one, said pipes extending longitudinally in the superheating-tubes from a vertical plane a short distancesay thirty inches or thereabout-forward of the fire-box tube-sheet to a vertical plane in the smoke-box forward of the T-head. The superheater-p'tpes are made of sufficiently small diameter to permit the free passage of the products of combustion around them through the superheating-tubes, and their rear endsthat is to say, their ends nearer the fire-box--are connected by return-bends 69 or other suitable fittings, as presently to be described, and may be held up in normal position in the superheatingtubes by any suitable supports. The superheater-pipes are open at their forward ends, at which they are connected,as presently to be described, with the main supply steam-pipe 61 and the branch or delivery steam-pipes 63, so as to constitute continuous avenues or channels throughout the length of which the steam which is to be superheated traverses from the supply steam-pipe to the branch or delivery steam-pipes. To this end the several sets of superheater-pipes which are located in each vertical row of superheating-tubes 67 are connected at their forward ends to a vertical casing or header 70, which is divided by partitions into four chambers or compartments to wit, a top chamber two vertical side chambers 70 70 and a vertical central chamber 7 O which is open to the top chamber 7 0 The headers 70 are set side by side and as closely as practicable together in the smokebox 4 substantially at right angles to the superheating-tubes, the upper portions of the rear sides of the headers abutting against the front of the T-head 62, and the headers are preferably, as shown, independently insertible and removable. The forward end of the upper superheater-pipe 69 of each superheating-tube 67 is expanded into the back Wall of the central chamber 70 of the header of the vertical row in which it is located, and the adjacent ends of the two lower superheater-pi pes are expanded into the back walls of the side chambers 7 0 7O of said header. By reference to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that all the upper superheater-pipes of the superheating-tubes of each vertical row communicate with the center chamber 70 of the header of such vertical row. All the lower superheaterpipes on one side of the central plane .of the vertical row'communicatc with one of the side chambers, as the chamber 7 O and all the lower superheater-pipeson the other side of the vertical plane communicate with the other side chamber, as the chamber 7 O Openings closed by removable plugs 70 are formed in the front walls of the headers, these openings providing for the insertion, examination, cleansing, and repairs of the superheaterpipes. In the event of leakage at the joints the plugs can be detached and the pipes expanded, as may be required.

The T-head 62 is divided by an inclined partition 62' into upper and lower chambers or Y compartments, the upper or supply compartment having ports 62 in its front, which register with ports in the top chambers 70 of the headers and communicate, through said chambers, with the center chambers 70, and the lower or delivery compartment having ports 62 in its front, which register with ports in the side chambers 7 0 70. The branch steampipes 63 are connected to nozzles at the ends of the lower compartment of the T-head. The front face of the T-head and the rear faces of the headers which surround the ports therein above specified are finished so as to make tight joints, and the headers are secured removably to the T-head by bolts 71 and clamps 71.

In operation steam from the boiler passes through the dry-pipe 61 into the upper compartment of the T-head 62 and thence into the top chambers 7 0 of the headers 7 0, from which it passes downwardly in the communicating center chambers 70", thence rearwardly through the connected upper superheaterpipes 69, from the rear ends of which it passes through the return-bends 69 into the twolower superheater-pipes of each superheating-tube and then forwardly through said lower superheater-pipes into the side chambers 7 0 7O of theheaders, and thence into the lowercompartment of the T-head 62, from which it passes through the branch steam-pipes 63 to the engine-cylinders for utilization therein. In its traverse through the superheater-pipes the steam is thoroughly'su perheated by the hot products of combustion which pass through the inclosing superheating-tubes, in which a substantial increase of superficial area operative for that purpose is provided by a construction embodying the essential features of that above described.

Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive, illustrate an application of our invention, which accords in all essential particulars with that above described and differs therefrom only in the following structural details: In this instance two instead of three superheater-pipes 69 are located ICC in each of the superheating-tubes 67, and the headers 70 are partitioned into two vertical side chambers 70 70 only. The T-head 62 is divided into an upper or supply compartment having ports 62", which communicate with the side chambers 7 O of the headers, and

a lower or delivery compartment having ports 62, which communicate with the opposite side chambers 7 O The open rear ends of the superheater-pipes 69 of the several sets are expanded into return-bend fittings 69 opposite openings therein, which are thereafter closed by plugs 69 and the forward ends of all the superheater-pipes on one side of the central plane 'of each vertical row of superheating-tubes are expanded into the back wall of one of the side chambers, as the chamber of the header of that vertical row. The forward ends of all the superheater-pipes on the other side of the central plane are expanded into the back wall of the other side chamber, as the chamber 70 superheated passes from the dry-pipe and supply compartment of the header downwardly in one side chamber of each header, rearwardly through the superheater -pipes connected thereto, forwardly through the opposite superheater-pipes of the several sets into the opposite side chambers of the headers, and upwardly therein to the communicating delivery-compartment of the T-head and the branch steam-pipes.

Another modification of structural detail is shown in Figs. 10 to 14, inclusive, this spe cific embodiment of our invention differing from that last-above described in the particulars that two ,pairs of superheater-pipes 69 are located one above another in each of the superheating-tubes 67 and that the rear ends of the pipes of each pair are screwed into return-bends 69 instead of being expanded thereinto, as in the former case. The headers 7 O are similarly partitioned into two side chambers 70 70 communicating, respectively, with the supply and the delivery compartments of the T-head, and the traverse of steam from the supply to the delivery connections of the T-head is effected through the superheater-pipes, as ingthe instance lastabove described. p M

Our invention embodies all the substantial practical advantages of that of Patent No. 7 65,307, together with the further and important one of materially increasing the area of superheating-surface without involving structural complication or difiiculty in maintenance, and thereby correspondingly enhancing the thoroughness and efliciency of the operation of the improvement.

We claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, with a tubular steamboiler, of a superheating-tube, a plurality of superheater-pipes extending longitudinally therein, a fitting connecting said pipes at their ends nearer the fire-box so as to form a steamchannel which is directly exposed, throughout its length, to the heat of the superheatingtube, a main steam-supply pipe, a steam-delivery pipe, and an integral vertical casing or Steam to be "header connected to the su perheater-pipes,sub-

stantially at right angles to the superbeating-V tube and divided into chambers, one of which communicates with the steam-supp] y pipe and with the receiving end of the steam-channel formed by the superheater-pipes and another with the delivery end of said channel and with the steam-delivery pipe.

2. The combination, with a tubular steamboiler, of a superheating-tube, a plurality of superheater pipes extending longitudinally therein, a fitting connecting said pipes at their ends nearer the fire-box so as to form a steamchannel which is directly exposed, throughout its length, to the heat of the superheatingtube, a mainv steam-supply pipe, a steam-de livery pipe, a T-head partitioned into two chambers, one of which is open to the main steam -supply pipe and the other to the steamdelivery pipe, and a casing or header divided into two chambers, one of which communicates with the supply-chamber of the T-head and with the receiving end of the steam-channel formed by the superheater-pipes and an other with the delivery end ofsaid channel and with the delivery-chamber of the T-head. p

3. The combination, with a tubular steamboiler, of a vertical row of superheating-tubes, sets of superheater-pipes extending longitudinally in the superheating-tubes, fittings con necting the ends of the pipes of each set nearer,

the fire-box so as to form a steam-channel which is directly exposed, throughout its length, to the heat of the superheating-tube,

ceivingends of the steam-channels formed by the vertical row of sets of superheater-pipes, and another with the delivery ends of said channels and with the steam-delivery pipe.

4E. The combination, with a tubular steamboiler, of a vertical row of superheating-tubes, sets of superheater-pipes extending longitudinally in the superheatingrtubes, fittings connecting the ends of the pipesof each set nearer the fire-box so as to form a steam-channel which is directly exposed, throughout its length, to the heat of the superheating-tube, a main steam-supply pipe, a steam-delivery pipe, a T-head partitioned into two chambers, one of which is open to the main steam-supply pipe and the other to the steam-delivery pipe, and a casing or header divided into chambers one of which communicates with the supplychamber of the T-head and with the receiving ends of the steam-channels formed by the vertical row of sets of s1 1perheaterpipes and another with the delivery ends of said channels and withthe delivery-chamber of the T-head.

5. The combination, with a tubular steamboiler, of a superheating-tube, three superloo heater-pipes extending longitudinally therein, afitting connecting said pipes at their ends nearer the fire-box so as to form a channel directly exposed, throughout its length, to the heat of the superheating-tube, for the traverse of steam in one direction through one of the superheater-pipes and in the reverse direction through the other two of said pipes, a main steam-supply pipe, a steam-delivery pipe, and a casing or header divided into chambers, one of which communicates With the steam-supply pipe and with one of the ends of the steam-channel formed by the superheater-pipes and two other chambers which communicate with the opposite ends of said channel and with the steam-delivery pipe.

6. The combination, with a tubular steamboiler, of a superheatingtube, a plurality of superheater-pipes extending longitudinally therein, a chambered casing or header into which the forward ends of the superheatera FRANCIS J. COLE. CARL J. MELLIN.

Witnesses:

A. J. BRAMAN, F. T. MARKS. 

